Michael Doherty's Music Log: Rick Shea & The Losin' End and Sandy Rogers Band at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 3-18-26

"Happy Hangover Day," one guy at the bar said soon after I arrived at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon last night. Ah, if only. But the venue where I caught music on St. Patrick's Day did not serve alcohol, so I was in no danger of a hangover yesterday. I decided to make up for that during this show, and got there early to get a head start on my drinking. There is always a good selection of beer at this place (for my second beer, I had a green-tinted IPA that was delicious), and that's one good reason to visit this venue. But mainly I was there for the music, of course. It was a phenomenal double bill: Rick Shea & The Losin' End and Sandy Rogers Band. This is the kind of music to help you get back in touch with the best parts of humanity, with the best parts of yourself.

"Mexicali Train"

Rick Shea & The Losin' End opened the show, taking the stage just after 8:30 p.m. Rick mentioned his new album, Smoke Tree Road, saying the band was going to play a few songs from it, including the one Rick chose to begin the night, "Guardian Angel," a sweet number to get things going. By the way, Tony Gilkyson was back on guitar last night. The last few times I saw The Losin' End, Rick had other guitarists sitting in with him. Rick then led the band into "Mexicali Train," a song with a rhythm like a friendly train coming from the past. We wouldn't be surprised if Kerouac stepped off that train and greeted us. Or, more likely, the ghosts of our own pasts. Tony delivered a really nice lead on guitar. That was followed by one of my favorites, "Mariachi Hotel," with a cool vibe, a sound that feels both haunted and wise, and featuring some excellent guitar work from Rick. The band then played another song from the new album, "A Week In Winnemucca." There is such a good feel to this song, and it featured some wonderful work from Tony on guitar.

"Papa Don't Sleep"

"Shelter Valley Blues" is another of my personal favorites, a song I love more each time I hear it. If you haven't yet heard this song, take a few minutes and check it out. You will not be disappointed. The band then dipped into Tony's material with "Papa Don't Sleep," an instrumental number that was a whole lot of fun last night. I especially enjoyed that bit on bass. Rick returned to the new album for "An Irishman's A Laborer At Heart," which was fitting for the day after St. Patrick's Day. Rick mentioned in his introduction to the song that he didn't get anywhere on the holiday except his couch. The song is beautiful, and it gets to me every time I hear it, reminding me of my dad. Jeff Turmes then took a turn at lead vocals, choosing "Don't The Moon Look Real" from his Five Horses, Four Riders album. It's a cool, jazzy number, and Tony's guitar lead last night was something special. "Midnight Shift" is another song that Rick included on his new album, and last night it was dedicated to a woman named Annie in the audience. It was a particularly fun rendition, and afterward Rick said, "That's 'Shift,' it's hard to get that 'f' in there." Rick wrapped up the set with another song from the new album, "One More Night," which is one of my favorites from the disc. Apparently this was the first time the song was played live, and it was wonderful hearing it. "I'm no closer to that dream." Ah, yes. I hope this song finds a regular spot in the band's set lists. The set ended at 9:21 p.m.

"Tingling Blue"

Fifteen minutes later, Sandy Rogers Band was on stage, and Sandy started by introducing the band before then kicking things off with the title track from her newest album, Tingling Blue. The energy was great, seeming higher than usual. There was perhaps a bit more volume too. When she sang, "feel it, feel it," we certainly did. She mentioned how it's been a year since the album came out. Is that possible? Well, not quite, but nearly a year. Still, time is flying. There was a bit of tuning, and once everything was right, the band started "One Of Those Kind," both Dan Janisch and Paul Marshall counting it off together, which was actually adorable. "It's not my song, but it feels like my song," Sandy said afterward. It certainly does! That was followed by "Fool For Love," which had a bright energy, and then "Turn Around," a song that will make anyone happy basically the moment it starts. And don't we all need this sort of thing these days? "Don't know who to trust." Well, we can trust these musicians, this music.

"Run Out Of West"

"This is my favorite song on the new record," Sandy said in introducing "Lonesome Man." "I waited so long/For you to really love me." Those are such beautiful, heartbreaking opening lines. Sandy and her band mates delivered a great rendition of the song last night. They followed that with the always-fun "In Her Auto-mobile," and then "No Antidote." A bit of tuning was necessary before "No Antidote," Sandy saying it was the stage lights knocking the guitar out of tune. Paul joked that the cause was Sandy's body heat. There was that kind of delightful, loose vibe, an undeniable joy, to the set. Some songs always hit the right spot, and "Missouri Blue" is one of those songs, and it was great hearing it last night. It's always great hearing it. Sandy introduced "Let's Ride" by saying she had written it for the film version of Fool For Love, had sent the demo to Altman, who began cutting the film to the demo rather than waiting for the final version of the song. So what we hear in that movie is the demo version. Anyway, last night the song featured one of the set's best vocal performances. Another of the best vocal performances was in "Why Wyoming," a highlight of the set. In "You Lied Your Way," Sandy's matter-of-fact delivery of "And I am madly in love with you" stood out. That was followed by a beautiful rendition of "Wild Bill," a song written by Paul Lacques. Afterward Sandy said, "He wrote that for a play called...," and turned back to Victoria Jacobs, who completed the sentence, "The Curse of Bigness." Some information just refuses to stay with me, so I can relate when Sandy has to turn to Victoria for the title every time she mentions that play. The set concluded with "Run Out Of West," featuring a wonderful, passionate vocal performance. The set ended at 10:43 p.m.

"The Town Where I Live"

Within ten minutes, Rick Shea & The Losin' End were kicking off the final set of the night with "The Starkville Blues," a good, mean tune. Rick followed that with "The Town Where I Live." When he introduced it, he said he could tell the story of the song, "But it's a long story, so I think I'll just play it." Again, it was that kind of a loose, fun night. Tony then sang lead on his "Man About Town," which is such a cool tune featuring delicious, expressive guitar work. And Jeff delivered his great "Early Train." The line "Summer's coming and I love someone" grabs me every time, and last night it hit me differently, the vagueness of the word "someone" seeming darker than usual. That was followed by two songs from the new album. The first, "Georgia Bride," was a song that stood out for me the last time I saw Rick Shea perform, and I was happy to hear it again, this time with Tony Gilkyson on guitar. The second was "El Diablo Manda," and this was the first time the song was played by the band. It was a treat to get to hear this one, and, like "One More Night," it is a song that deserves a regular spot in future set lists. That was followed by a fun rendition of "Hold On Jake."

"Hold On Jake"

The fun continued wih Tony's choice of "Tear It Down," which featured some delicious guitar work and became a wonderful jam. They kept the energy up with "Juanita (Why Are You So Mean)." Then Jeff sang lead on "Things I'm Not Gonna Think About." In this one, he mentions how the news may not be good, and perhaps the trick is to avoid thinking about certain things. That's been part of my strategy for the last fifteen months. Thinking about the horror show in D.C. just makes me angry and depressed, and doesn't cause any harm to the beast in office. There are many things I don't want to think about, preferring to focus on positive things, such as good music. Rick Shea & The Losin' End wrapped up the show with a couple of covers: Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues" and Chuck Berry's "Thirty Days," the latter dedicated to Nubs, the sound man, and featuring plenty of great guitar work. The show ended at 11:50 p.m.

Set List

Rick Shea & The Losin' End Set I